Earthquake 2005: Rebuilding homes amid fear

MUZAFFARABAD:

In the aftermath of the 2005 earthquake, it became clear that thousands of houses in Azad Kashmir’s towns of Muzaffarabad, Bagh and Rawalakot suffered massive destruction. Since then, victims have reconstructed the damaged structures following the special guidelines provided by the authorities.

Following these instructions, local residents have replaced concrete with wood to rebuild their homes. And yet, while this may reduce casualties in the event of a future quake, locals living close to the Line of Control, especially in Chakothi Sector, find themselves vulnerable to Indian army shelling.

“The rising tension between Pakistan and India has created panic in our village,” says Muhammad Hanif, a resident of Chakothi, “the houses are not safe like they were before the quake and can easily be hit.”

Doost Muhammad, a resident of Phal village, reminisces about the strong concrete structures that housed them before the devastating calamity. “We were told by the authorities to construct wooden houses, and roofs with Corrugated Galvanised Iron sheets, to avoid casualties during tremors,” he explains. “However, these houses are so unsafe that a single bullet can easily hit anyone inside.”

The need for bunkers

Despite the danger, the people of these areas have collectively decided not to leave their ancestral lands.

“The Indian army is as unpredictable as the earthquakes,” says Muhammad Hanif, another Chakothi resident. “However, we will not move. To protect ourselves, we have started to construct underground concrete bunkers.”

However, the development of these bunkers is expensive.

Most residents of this area live hand to mouth, and according to another local, it costs more than Rs300,000 to build a bunker.

Muhammad Ashraf, another local who faced extensive losses in 2005, agrees. “A poor villager cannot do this alone. If the government of Azad Jammu and Kashmir helps us, then we can save ourselves from both future earthquakes and Indian shelling,” he says.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 8^th, 2013.